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T. A. Niles's BlogPosted by T. A. Niles I think I played my first tennis tournament in 1976, and I have played quite a few tournaments and other types of tennis events over the years. I write about many of my tournament experiences, but my recent tournament experience at the USPTA Florida Grand Prix event at Addison Reserve Country Club demanded mention over and above the usual. The first mentions must go to the facility and staff that hosted the event. Jeff Bingo, director of tennis, and members of his staff, Head Pro Barbora Burns and Administrative Assistant Heather Kostenbauder to name a few, pulled out all the stops to ensure that the tournament players and Addison Reserve members had a superb experience. Regarding the facility, the locker rooms were spectacularly outfitted and decorated with marble countertops, art deco porcelain sinks, and rich cherry wood lockers. All the standard amenities and toiletries were present, but the disposable toothbrushes did the trick for me. I was impressed. The tennis courts were also in great shape, and were groomed prior to each match. I even had the pleasure of playing against the USTA Men’s 45 Clay Court Champion, Horacio Rearte, on the red clay, Grand Stand court. Ordinarily I wouldn’t associate the word “pleasure” with a 1-6, 0-6 loss, but Horacio is as classy a person as he is a player, and the venue was topnotch. When I returned home from the event, I asked Mike Curran, a veteran of USPTA and USTA events if he had ever had tournament staff come around to the courts with cold towels and ice during a match. He replied, “No.” Neither had I, and it definitely made an impression. I could say much more, but due to spatial limitations, I’ll just say “Great job!” to Jeff and his outstanding staff. Game, set, match…
Posted by T. A. Niles If you check the history of this blog, you won’t find a single product review on it prior to this one. That should give you some indication of how strongly I feel about the string that I am about to review. I have played with Kirschbaum’s Pro Line II (1.25) since July of this year, shortly after meeting Kirschbaum USA’s President, Javier Quiroga, at the USPTA Convention in Delray. Since then, I have tried other Kirschbaum strings out of curiosity, but nothing has compared to the Pro Line II. I gave the string to three other players (two male and one female 4.5 players) to see if they would have experiences similar to mine. The following are the comments from the men and woman who tested the string. Play Tester Chris- Male, 4.5 player, 45 years old, using Wilson K-blade Team for 15 hours strung at 57 lbs. Overall rating: 9.5/10: I also rated the string 9.5 overall because of the excellent feel, the mix of power and control, and the incredible tension retention. This string is a must try! Posted by T. A. Niles Methinks that rumors of Roger Federer’s imminent demise hath been greatly exaggerated. My buddy Gene has been gloating all summer; assuring me that Federer was all washed up. Although Roger’s game has troubled me all year, and I still see elements of his game that are not where they were when he dominated the sport, “washed up” seems a bit drastic for a guy who is recovering from an illness that can lay a person low for more than a year. Federer was in the finals of three grand slams, winning one, and was in the semis of the other. The Wimbledon final has been characterized as the greatest tennis match ever played by people who played and watched decades of tennis. Oh to be washed up like Federer! I finally got something right this year. I picked Fed to win the Open. The “T. A. Curse” has been thwarted for once. Of course, I did jinx Novak Djokovic when I wrote that he was a bigger threat to Roger’s No.1 ranking than Nadal. Hey, most of the reasoning was sound, but I didn’t factor in sufficiently the psychological make-ups of the players. Nadal is just more emotionally and psychologically mature. I can’t mention the Open without giving props to Serena Williams. The woman did not drop a single set against competition as stiff as Bjorn Borg’s Donnay. Uh, that’s the type of racquet Borg used. Straight-setting Venus, Safina, and Jankovic in consecutive matches is no mean feat. Yet, that’s what Serena did en route to reclaiming the No.1 ranking. Finally a woman’s No.1 who deserves it! Unfortunately the only real pro tour drama left is the Masters Cup and Sony Ericsson Championships in November. Look for Federer & Nadal, Serena & Venus to lead those fields as well. Game, set, match.... Posted by T. A. Niles I recently wrote about missed opportunities, and did Venus Williams ever miss some opportunities tonight in her quaterfinal match against her Sister Serena! Ten set points she let slip through her fingers. She served at 5-3, 40-0 in the first set and lost the set in a tiebreak, after being up 4-2 and 6-4. She was up 5-2 in the second set tiebreak, 6-5, 7-6, and still lost the match, 6-7, 6-7. I don’t want to mislead you. Serena played incredibly during the pressure-packed moments of the match, but Venus helped her quite a bit with double faults, missed sitters, and a makeable overhead in the final tiebreak. Having missed more than a few opportunities myself in too many matches, I know the pain of missed opportunities. I suppose it may be less painful if those missed opportunities results in someone you care about reveling in her performance, but I’m sure that it hurts nevertheless. Is it possible for Venus not to replay the many chances that caromed off her strings and into the net or outside the confines of the court? I don’t see how. In the aftermath of squandered opportunity, images of shots that didn’t quite do what you wanted them to do cascade in a fuzzy avalanche. When you take advantage of those opportunities, there is still a collage of images, but they evoke very different sentiments. Serena and Venus are experiencing different feelings after the high quality match they played, but hopefully Venus will remember that her baby sister Serena played superb tennis in crunch time. Hopefully she’ll realize that there aren’t many players she wouldn’t have beaten tonight. In the end, the US Open crowd in the stands and the viewers at home were treated to another thrilling chapter in the Williams-Williams saga. Hope you caught it! Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles How about Sam Querrey taking out Tomas Berdych (22) in straight sets! And Berdych only got 6 games! Scuse me, Sam, but didn’t anyone tell you that Tomas Berdych is one of the top players in the world? Three, one and two indeed! Richard Gasquet (12) has lost all of the accumulated cachet from his stellar play beginning at Wimbledon. First round exits have a way of doing that, even if it is to a quality player like Tommy Haas. Kudos to Donald Young for taking James Blake (9) to 6-4 in the fifth, and Vince Spadea for doing the same with Marat Safin. Wish I could have seen those two. I imagine both were chockfull of shot-making. On the women’s side of things, Ana Ivanovic pulled out a tight one, 6-4 in the third, but my money is on Dinara Safina. Despite her Silver at the Olympics, I don’t see anyone playing with more confidence. Not sure how much confidence Venus and Serena have coming in, and confidence is the name of this game. But speaking of confidence, you would think I would have a little after reaching the round of 16 at the USTA National Men's 45, 50 Grass Court Championships. Not! If it wasn’t for my serve, I’d be toast with butter AND jelly! I’m looking forward to this morning’s match though. Max King, the 7th seed and my opponent, is a very solid and cagey player. My serve had better be on today and the silly mistakes from yesterday need to stay history. It ought to be fun. Gary Clermont (13) and I are the only two left of the Florida contingent in the Men’s 45s main draw, and our biggest hope in the 50s, Kevin Manning (5), went down yesterday. Until later: game, set, match…. Posted by T. A. Niles So I’m playing Max King, the 7th seed, today and he’s serving at 3-5, 30-40 in the second set, after I won the first 6-2. As I’m awaiting serve, my buddy Eric Ernstrom’s voice echoed in my ear: “Yeah, T. A. Max has a way of hanging on to matches no matter how long it takes…once a couple years ago I was up 6-3, 5-3 match point and somehow two hours later he had won. Thus, it is not over with him until you get match point...” As Eric’s words invaded my consciousness, threatening to disrupt my focus, I grit my teeth and thought, “Not today Max! It…aint…gonna…happen…today!” Thirty seconds later, Max and I were shaking hands and I had beaten one of the players I respect most in our division. Tomorrow’s quarterfinal opponent, Gilbert Schuerholz of Lutherville Timonium, MD, is seeded 4th, has won four consecutive USTA sanctioned events, and is undefeated in USTA tournament play this year. He won a tough match today (7-6, 4-6, 6-4) against Kerry S. Bucklin of Mercer Island, WA, so there’s no question that he is match tough, and riding a wave of confidence. What an opportunity to be a spoiler! I’ll have to bring the best I’ve got to pull off the upset, but, as always, I’m looking forward to the challenge. Our other Florida representative remaining in the main draw, Gary Clermont (13), pulled out a tough three-setter to advance to the quarters as well. Gary lost a hard-fought first set, 4-6, then battled back to post 6-4, 6-4 scores in the final two sets. Gary has an opportunity to stage a major upset tomorrow, as he faces No.1 seed and top-ranked player in the country, Val Wilder. I bet Gary’s looking forward to his challenge as well. Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles I’d love to have a wrap up of Day 2 at the USTA National Grass Courts, but matches were held at multiple sites and the results haven’t yet been posted. All I can tell ya is that I have another match tomorrow at 10A.M. against the No.11 seed from Los Angeles, California. It’s “A-Game” or “Go-Away Game” for the kid tomorrow. By the way, I wish you would let me know when I put stuff out there with typos. It’s tough to get all the “i”s dotted and all the “t”s crossed late at night after your editor (M. J.) has gone to bed. M. J. found THREE errors in last night’s piece! My apologies. Hopefully you’d rather get something with an error or two than nothing. As for the Open (yeah, some real tennis), there have been no real surprises in the men’s draw, despite the falling of two seeds. Feliciano Lopez (27) going down to Jurgen Melzer might surprise some given Lopez’s Wimbledon quarterfinal performance, but he hasn’t done a thing since. Twenty-ninth seed Juan Monaco’s fall to Kei Nishikori is not earth-shattering, given Monaco’s two first-round losses in his last two events, and the 19-year-old Nishikori’s blossoming game. On the women’s side, what is up with the Chinese! They own the sports planet (Can we say Olympics?). Li Na bumped off a serious competitor in Israeli Shahar Peer (24), and I know the NY crowd was totally backing Peer. Maria Kirilenko (22) had the bad luck of facing unseeded, but definitely dangerous, Tamira Paszek in the first round. Kirilenko’s now waiting around for doubles. And, she plays Paszek there too! Still some good matches in progress, so all of the above might be moot by morning. Can’t wait up to see. Until tomorrow, game, set, match. Posted by T. A. Niles Written Saturday, 8/23/08 I believe the saying is, “There’s no wrath like the wrath of a woman scorned.” If there’s anything to that saying, then I’m sure that Opportunity is a woman. I foolishly rejected Opportunity today and suffered the sting of her wrath. The bottom line is that when Opportunity comes knocking you had better answer, or she’ll go next door. In my match today, I broke serve in the third game of the first set, then promptly lost my serve, committing the unpardonable double-fault sin en route. Opportunity was on her way down the driveway, but she hadn’t yet knocked next door. Serving at 4-5 in the first set, I held off multiple set points and earned a game point. I played the point well…until the easy forehand volley that I plunked pathetically into the net. “Absolutely no excuse,” frowned Opportunity, and knocked on my neighbor’s door. He answered the knock. Once my opponent, Al Hernandez, realized that I had no intention of embracing Opportunity when she knocked, he relaxed and courted her at every opportunity. Apparently my first serve and Opportunity are related, because it, too, abandoned me in the second set. I held serve just once in three attempts, as Al jumped all over my ineffective second serve. Other than the disappointment of failing to display the mental toughness required to win tennis matches, my intro to grass court tennis was a pleasant one. The Philadelphia Cricket Club is a lovely facility, the weather was spectacular, and I‘m spending time with M. J., as well as nieces and nephews whom I haven’t seen in years. It ain’t all bad and I hope to perform better tomorrow. Until then, game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles Five Florida USPTA professionals made the trip to the National Grass Court event at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Philadelphia, PA. Paulo Barros (No.1 seed) of Orlando and Jamie Feagan (No.6 seed) of Clermont represent Florida in the Men’s Open division, Mary Dailey of Delray Beach and Jackie Bohannon of Sarasota vie for supremacy in the Women’s Open, and T. A. Niles (No. 3 seed) does battle in the Men’s 45s. Barros finished as the top-ranked Open Singles player and Feagan finished No.6 in the USPTA’s 2007 National Open Singles rankings. With a number of quality professionals entered in the Open Singles draw, it will be interesting to see how the superb clay-court game of Barros adapts to the slick grass of the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Both Feagan and Barros are excellent doubles players, so it would be no surprise to see them in the later rounds of the event. Jackie Bohannon is currently second in the Women’s Open Singles and No.1 in the Women’s Doubles national rankings points race. Dailey is No.1 in the Doubles race, so both women have games well suited to the grass. Despite Dailey's senior status (Women's 45s is her natural division), she could pull the upset. Niles is a natural serve-volleyer but is a grass court virgin. He faces stiff competition in his first match against Al Hernandez, who is unseeded in this event, but is seeded 10th in the USTA National Grass Court Championships which begin on Sunday. Even if Niles were to make it past Hernandez, William Pilardi, seeded No.6 in the USTA event, and other seasoned grass court players are also in the draw. I’ll keep ya posted. Game, set, match….. Posted by T. A. Niles One of the reasons that I love tennis and being a Tennis Professional is my belief that “tennis folk” are among the best in our culture. At the recent USPTA Florida Convention in Delray, Terry See, one of our most experienced colleagues, stayed on the court in the sweltering heat for every drill in the drill swap contest, assisting his fellow pros. He was an inspiration, and I remember wishing there were more pros, and people in general, like Terry See. Unfortunately, Terry hurt himself recently, had to spend some time in the hospital, and won’t be on the court again for weeks. The tennis community’s response has been uplifting, and moving to witness. Tomorrow (Saturday, August 16th), the Landings Tennis Association (LTA) will host a round robin and pool party/cookout. Tennis will start at 9:00 A.M., followed by a cookout at the Helm Club Pool starting at 11:30. There will be a minimum $20.00 donation with all the proceeds going to Terry. It has also been announced, that Bonita Bay Tennis will host a Pro-Am event September 5th, with proceeds going to Terry. Another example of the quality character of Tennis Professionals in Southwest Florida was demonstrated by Rob Vinal, who stepped aside to allow his former colleague, Jared Kalpin, to play the Ultimate Tennis final. Although Jared had earned a spot in the final by going undefeated, due to an administrative snafu on Jared’s part, Rob was awarded a spot in the final. Rob acknowledged that Jared had earned the spot, and passed up his chance at $500.00 or a guaranteed $250.00 and a pair of tennis shoes. Terry’s willingness to give of himself, the Greater Fort Myers tennis community rallying around him, and Rob’s integrity and generosity all make me proud to be a USPTA Tennis Professional. Posted by T. A. Niles Tennis is as good as it has been since I began watching the game in the 1960’s. The seventies and eighties with Connors, McEnroe, Borg, etc. have been considered the boom years of tennis, but as has been documented elsewhere, tennis is one of the few growing sports in our sports-crazed culture. And if you love the game as I do and watched the tremendous tennis that has been displayed this year, not just by the top players, but by ATP players like Feliciano Lopez, Rainer Schuettler, and Marat Safin, then you're in heaven. WTA players have also brought mucho game to the courts this year. Henin might be gone, but the splendor of Venus Williams, the emergence of Dinara Safina, and the Serbian struggle for No.1 have all spiced up the flavor of the WTA Tour. Given Roger Federer’s lengthy reign atop the ATP rankings, it is no surprise that Rafael Nadal’s breaking of the strangle hold Roger has had on the No.1 position has injected a jolt of media juice into the game. Between ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, both ATP’s Roger’s Cup and the WTA’s East West Classic received as much coverage as grand Slams. That much coverage for non-Grand Slam events may be unprecedented. Some fans are complaining about slower surfaces, but if you don’t like a 31-shot rally, which includes shot-making that forces both players to cover every inch of court surface before the point is won, how much can you love this game? You know tennis is hot when Gilles Simon and Nicolas Kiefer can keep me up until 3:00 A.M.! If you haven’t already caught the bug, then you never will. Look for the US Open Series events and the US Open to set records for attendance and viewership, even in our struggling economy. Posted by T. A. Niles Despite the hard work Bonita Bay staff put in getting the courts ready for the event, by my second match on Friday, nearly every bounce was a bad one. I asked Rob Vinal, head pro at Bonita Bay, if the rumor I had heard, that he was directed not to groom the courts, was true. He confirmed the rumor. Really? Yes. Courts have been groomed prior to matches in almost every significant tennis event that I have played. I don't get why that would not be standard at USTA Florida regional and/or sectional events? Surely NTRP players rate the same courtesy as other tournament players. Directors of a state or nationally sanctioned tournaments, with hundreds of participants, care just as much about getting matches on and off on time as the Director of USTA league tournaments. So why would USTA Florida policy (per on-site representative Linda Kleitch) preclude court preparation before matches? If a facility has the personnel and is willing to groom courts before matches, why not allow it? The players this past weekend would have appreciated it. Another component of the weekend that drew less than positive comments from players was the way courts were assigned. The ability to root for your team members, to look over and draw or give inspiration from or to team members contributes considerably to the team experience. Putting team members on courts so remote from each other that little of the above is available detracted from the weekend’s experience. Having played collegiate events and USTA team events in the past, I know that it is feasible to assign courts so that teammates can be close enough to maintain the atmosphere of team play. With a few minor tweaks a good event can evolve into a terrific one. Posted by T. A. Niles I have washed off the clay and the disappointment and am now ready for written reflection. It was great to be a part of hundreds of tennis players gathered in a smorgasbord of skill levels, sizes, styles of play, heritages, and ages, all with a similar goal in mind and heart. Few other mainstream sports feature opponents several decades apart in age as our sport did this weekend…and fewer still would foster a situation where a team with 70-year-old members prevails over teams with 40-year-olds, as Fort Myers Racquet Club’s 3.0 team did. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my own matches, my favorite moment was watching Joel Martineau, my teammate, reach deep down, and I mean deeeeep down, to pull out the third-set super-tiebreak against a player more than two decades younger. Perhaps the best moment of all was when the youngster said during the breaker, “The old man just won’t go away. He doesn’t know he’s supposed to quit.” Joel’s match was not one that would have garnered us the championship, and Joel had to expend far more energy than he had foreseen expending to get the win. Nevertheless, he staved off multiple match points to win the second set tiebreak, and hobbled to victory with amazing shot-making in the super-tiebreak. It may not have been Federer-Nadal, but it was every bit as memorable. Those of us who played and enjoyed the experience certainly owe a note of thanks to the many who made it possible: The league captains who work so hard to bring and keep teams together; the league coordinators who do the yeoman’s job of organizing and administering the leagues; the staff of the facilities where we play; and the USTA Florida staff who provide these competitive opportunities, and take the heat when things aren’t perfect. Posted by T. A. Niles The Rogers Cup was anything but Roger’s tonight and it did not produce a delicious draught in Federer’s first match since Wimbledon’s disappointment. After winning the first set 6-2, Roger proceeded to lose the next two 5-7, 4-6, bowing out as early as he ever has in Toronto. In watching the unfolding of the final set, it appeared as though Roger didn’t care about winning. I couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to punish all of those who have written him off. “So you think I’m done? Well, fine. I’m done. I’m all washed up,” his attitude seemed to say. “You need me more than I need you, but you don’t even know it,” his flailing forehand screamed. If I could come up with some reason that made sense, I would say that Roger tanked the match. As he slapped, seemingly carelessly, at forehands at key moments, I found myself staring in profound shock. It amazed me that the player I considered the greatest of all time (GOAT), was actually playing like a goat. There’s no way for me to know what was going on out there tonight, but it greatly saddened me to see Roger Federer refuse to make any changes to his game when it was clear that what he was doing was not bringing him success. Roger believed the hype when he was being called the greatest. Perhaps Roger now believes the hype about his being all washed up. I hope Roger Federer remembers how and why he is/was considered the GOAT by so many, even those who played at the highest level, and goes on to defy those who believe his time of greatness has passed. If Roger's not careful, they might rename the event Rafa's Cup. Posted by T. A. Niles Are there adequate words to fully convey the wonder of the Gentlemen’s final at Wimbledon? If there are, then my vocabulary is woefully inadequate. Although I participated on the couch and in spirit only, I am physically and emotionally spent in the aftermath of one of the most amazing men’s Grand Slam tennis finals ever played. Discussing who won and lost seems almost trivial in light of the transcendent play displayed by both warriors (for certainly that’s what they are) throughout the match, particularly from midway through the fifth set to the penultimate point. It seems an injustice that it ended on an unforced error. I predicted Nadal would win the match, and was pleasantly surprised that the real Roger Federer showed up from the third set on to battle Nadal to such an incredible finish. Despite rooting for Federer, like a good book, I didn’t want the match to end, and was saddened when in ended with a missed Federer forehand. Kudos to Federer who had many opportunities to wilt under the unrelenting heat Rafa applied. Despite being two sets down, the former “King of Wimbledon” made Rafa hit incredible shot after incredible shot before passing his scepter. And Nadal? He possesses the greatest weapon in tennis: his indomitable will, his mind metal-forged in Mallorca. There is no doubting his strength and speed or his dominating strokes. But dominating strokes are fairly common, and speed a given for top tier players. The ability to compel your opponent to crumble when it counts most, to deliver the devastating blow when the moment demands belongs to Rafa now, as it once belonged to Roger. The new “King” has been crowned, but Roger remains royal in defeat. I’m picking Federer for the US Open. Game, set, match, I’m out. Posted by T. A. Niles Unfortunately, I worked yesterday and missed the women’s final between Venus and Serena Williams, but from what I’ve heard, it was a quality affair as befitting the two women who hold more Grand Slam tennis titles (7 & 8 respectively) than any active professional tennis player. In fact, Venus and Serena hold more Grand Slam singles titles than Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Jelena Janovic combined. Despite the above fact, it was the media darlings, the sensational Serbs and camera-commercial maven Sharapova, who attracted most of the pre-tourney attention. As the Williams sisters marched onward toward their historic meeting in their seventh Grand Slam final, the enthusiasm of the talking heads was considerably less than prior to the event when they gushed over Ivanovic and Sharapova. Even the aging Lindsay Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam winner, seemed to create more fanfare than the Williams sisters. I am not surprised, but neither am I reluctant to comment on the fact that despite their incredible on-court success, the Williams sisters’ off-court benefits lag behind others who have earned far less. It is sad that America doesn’t deem the American Williams sisters as worthy of celebration and commercial bounty as the “-ic”s and the “-ova”s who populate the Sony Ericsson Tour. Oh, I believe I forgot to mention that Venus and Serena also dominated the ladies doubles championship at Wimbledon. Never in the history of tennis, and perhaps any other professional sport, have there been siblings who have dominated their sport as the Williams sisters have professional women’s tennis. Perhaps one day Venus and Serena will be properly recognized for the greatness they have displayed on the tennis court. Maybe it will even be this year, as they represent the very country that fails to embrace them in the Olympic Games for the second time. Posted by T. A. Niles Rafa Nadal destroyed Mikhail Youhzny, the only player on his half of the draw that had a respectable record (4-6) against him. With Andy Murray next on his plate, Rafa should have another appetizer in the semis, before the main course in the final. Anything can happen in tennis, but Rafa is about as dependable as…well, as Roger Federer used to be. He seldom loses to someone he is supposed to beat. Looking at the remaining players in his portion of the draw, Rafa is 9-2 against them (3-0 vs. Murray), with his last loss to any of them being to Arnaud Clement in 2006. What about Roger’s chances of being at that final feast with Nadal? Roger’s next opponent is the resilient Mario Ancic, who was the last man to beat Roger at Wimbledon in 2002. Ancic battled back from two sets down to beat Marcos Baghdatis 13-11 in the fifth, and has repeatedly battled back from injuries to regain the form that garnered him the No.7 ATP world ranking in 2006. Should Roger get past Ancic, he will have to face the winner of Marat Safin and Feliciano Lopez? Other than his Wilson racquet commercial Lopez has done squat this year, so some are probably asking, “Feliciano Who?” But Lopez has big game, and apparently he has found big inspiration. He out-dueled Marcos Baghdatis in a thriller of a five-setter, 8-6 in the fifth. Do I need to say anything about Safin? Well other than Federer and Nadal, he’s the only Grand Slam winner left in the draw, and the only one who straight-setted the legendary Pete Sampras in a Grand Slam (2000 US Open). Federer has owned both Safin and Lopez, going 14-2 against them but that was a different Roger and different Lopez and Safin. Posted by T. A. Niles That’s right, second-seed Jelena Jankovic fell to unseeded Tamarine Tanasugarn in straight sets, and No.14 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska downed fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in three. Even given the specter of Jankovic’s bum wheel, one would expect her to pull it out against the 31-year-old veteran. Pssst, a secret: Tanasugarn won the S’Hertogenbosch tune-up less than two weeks ago, beating the red-hot Dinara Safina in the final. Apparently that win was no fluke. Venus and Serena moved on in straight sets, and most talking heads have them playing in the final already. A note of caution before you bet the house: Even if Venus gets past Tanasugarn, which is no gimme (despite Venus’ 6-0 record against her), she is likely to face Dementieva in the semis. Given Dementieva’s play of late, she shouldn’t be a walkover either. Still, Venus has to be considered the favorite. Serena has scrapper Radwanska next, and this 18-year-old can flat out ball-bash with the best of ‘em. They’ve played once on clay and Serena tuned up the youngster, but Radwanska may be looking for payback, and has no pressure on her. Still, Serena’s experience should carry her through. If she gets past Radwanska, Serena will face the winner of Jie Zheng versus No.18 seed Nicole Vaidisova. Vaidisova gets the edge in this one, primarily due to her 2-0 record against Zheng. But they haven’t played since 2006 and Zheng is playing as well as she has since she reached her highest ranking of No.33 in the world in 2006. No one would expect Serena to lose to either player though, so a Williams sisters final is a good possibility. Posted by T. A. Niles It was another day of seed planting as Mario Ancic also upset David Ferrer (5) in a high quality fracas. As projected, Bethanie Mattek’s game was too bothersome for Marion Bartoli to overcome, and the No.10 seed in the ladies’ draw was upended in straight sets. Serena Williams continues to march onward, and the prospect of a Williams-sisters final remains alive. The bottom half of the ladies’ draw is loaded, however, and Venus will have to get past high hurdles in the persons of Jelena Jankovic (2), Dinara Safina (9), and Elena Dementieva (5) to get to baby sis in the final. Big names aside, as Ivanovic can attest, anyone left in the draw is a threat. Roger Federer upheld his end of the bargain for all those hoping for another Federer-Nadal final, but Federer’s half of the draw appears to be a minefield fraught with danger. Should he get past Lleyton Hewitt, who is playing as well as he has in years, Federer will likely face Mario Ancic, the last player to beat him at Wimbledon. Should he avenge his last Wimbledon loss, Federer still has the mercurial Marat Safin, who is playing as well as he has played since he won the Australian Open in 2005, in his half of the draw. Nadal, on the other hand, appears to have a smoother ride to the final. He has never lost to Nicolas Kiefer, his next opponent, and only one other player remaining in his half of the draw, Mikhail Youzhny, has beaten him in the past two years. We won’t know until the fuzz flies, so game, set, match, I’m out. Posted by T. A. Niles When it’s your time, it’s your time. With some grace from the tennis gods, and some gutsy play, World No.1, Ana Ivanovic, survived Natalie Dechy’s inspired assault to remain alive in the Ladies Singles of The Championships, Wimbledon. At 4-5, 15-40, double matchpoint after losing the first set in a tiebreak, Ivanovic showed no fear, ripping a forehand crosscourt to deny Dechy’s first opportunity to upset the ladies’ No.1 seed. On the 2nd matchpoint, Ivanovic blasted a forehand into the net, but the ball drops into Dechy’s court anyway for deuce. Dechy accepted the gods’ decree and battled on, impervious to fickle Fate and damning Destiny. She made Ivanovic struggle to reach a second set tiebreak, and didn’t succumb to the inevitable until the 18th game of the third set. It isn’t often that a second round match becomes the most memorable match of a Grand Slam, but this match is a contender, and the players will be hard pressed to match the drama and excellence displayed by Ivanovic and Dechy this Wimbledon Wednesday. Marat Safin will probably beg to differ seeing that he dispatched No.3 seed Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Anyone who knows the ATP Tour knows that Marat Safin can beat anyone if he brings his mind along with his talent to the court. Apparently he did so today. Djokovic is showing that he does not yet breathe the rarified air of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Serena Williams continued her unheralded march toward a potential ninth Grand Slam. Of course one would think that Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, or perhaps Maria Sharapova, rather than defending champion Venus Williams or Eight-time Slam winner Serena are the odds on favorite to win the title. Wonder why that is? Game, set, match. I’m out. Posted by T. A. Niles Ok, so I have to back pedal a little on the Kiss of Death thing. It only works 50% of the time. In the semis, I picked Dinara Safina to lose and Elena Dementieva to win. Both won for 50%. I picked Novak Djokovic to win and Stanislas Wawrinka to lose. Both won for another 50% record. So I held off on cursing anyone in the finals, and Djokovic and Safina both pulled off the wins as I suspected they would. Safina looked unstoppable this past week, as her brother Marat Safin did when he won the Australian in ’05. No matter what was thrown at her, she practically scoffed at it. Djokovic is THE Drama King on tour, so you know his match went three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-3). Yep, Wawrinka has plenty of game, but Djokovic has more. It took Safina a set to get used to Dementieva’s pace, but once she did, she cruised (3-6, 6-2, 6-2). The 22-year-old Safina, who has been a pro since she was 14, claimed the biggest of her six titles in Berlin. In claiming his third championship of the year, the almost 21-year-old Djokovic solidified his lead atop the ATP Tour singles race, leading Nadal by 66 points and Federer by more than I care to count. Oh, and while I’m at it, I claimed the Ultimate Tennis Men’s 6.0 Spring Championship, my second Ultimate Tennis championship in two years, by beating Stephen Hunt-Marriott 6-2, 6-4. I owe Ken Wasserman a note of thanks for choosing not to play in the playoffs, because he was clearly the best player in our division. Ken went undefeated, beating both Stephen and me in straight sets. Ya gotta play to win, right? A report and slideshow of the event are imminent. Game, set, match…. Posted by T. A. Niles Yep, the “Kiss of Death” is still in effect. I did apologize to Serena Williams last night for picking her to win, and that apology was well warranted. Dinara Safina played as tough a set as I’ve seen her play against Serena in the third set, and I’m sure that was fueled by the “Kiss.” Safina was reminiscent of her brother Marat Safin when he was on his game and had his mind together. She hit some incredible shots and moved better than she has ever moved. A little fitness does wonders for one’s confidence. I should have apologized to Jelena Jankovic in advance as well, since I cursed her too with my pick. Elena Dementieva actually had fewer double faults than Jankovic, and won more point on serve than Jankovic. Federer is likely to be a repeat victim because I just can’t pick against the guy. And Stepanek is a serve volley player, beating the Fed on clay! I can get away with that sometimes, but Stepanek against Federer? I’m guilty on Robredo as well, as he fell to Roddick in a third-set breaker. This Kiss isn’t totally guaranteed however. I figured Blake would wilt and he did. I thought Victoria Azarenka would prevail over Alona Bondarenko and she did. Djokovic did get past Almagro. That’s 50% on the men, and the best I can do is 50% on the women. It may take me a while to perfect the “Kiss of Death,” but when I do, it will compel players to offer me large sums of money not to pick them. I can smell the green$$$. So, next round I’m picking Djokovic over Stepanek, and Roddick over Wawrinka in the men’s draw, Azarenka over Safina, and Dementieva over either Ivanovic or Szavay. We’ll see tomorrow. Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles The “Kiss of Death” worked on Justine Henin (1) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (3). Henin continues her freefall from grace, losing to Dinara Safina in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. It’s strange that after such a stellar year as ‘07 Henin seems to be struggling with confidence, and showing little fight once things turn south. In three of her four losses on the year, the final sets have been 0, 0, and 1. After cruising to a 6-1 first set, Kuznetsova didn’t put up much resistance either, bowing out a 2 and 2 in the final two sets. It’s the first time Kuzi hasn’t reached at least the semis since February. The Serbs proved immune to the curse, although Ivanovic struggled against Sybil Bammer in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 tester. Ivanovic (2) gets up-and-comer Agnes Szavay (10) next, and don’t be surprised if Szavay presents more of a problem than Ana can solve. Szavay has been steadily climbing the ranking ladder since her pro debut in ’04. She’s jumped from No.207 in ’06 to a current ranking of no.14. Jankovic (4) cruised through a 6-2, 6-4 win over Maria Kirilenko, and will match-up against Elena Dementieva (7) next. Dementieva has plenty of game to hang with, and beat, Jankovic, but she also has plenty of head issues as far as her serve goes…Sounds like me these days… Anyway, that match could go either way depending on which Dementieva shows up. Gotta go with reliable Jelena though. Serena’s got to be the favorite at this point (sorry Serena), and only the curse can stop her. She has Safina (13) next, then the winner of Alona Bondarenko (15) versus Victoria Azarenka. I’m thinking she’ll meet Azarenka, whom she beat the only time they’ve played previously. Until next…Game, set, match. Posted by T. A. Niles James Blake and Andy Roddick are showing me something in Rome. I’ve accused both of being more “ball bashers” than tennis players, and that’s why they are "pa-dang-thetic" on clay. But this week, they are displaying patience, that’s right, patience on the red stuff! James Blake coming back after dropping the first set on clay? A common occurrence that isn’t. Blake barely holds his own on clay and he played a Spaniard who has a better record on clay. Pulled it off though. Roddick has played less matches on clay than any other surface in the last 12 months and no one would accuse him of being a clay court specialist (remember Roland Garros last year?). Yet he straight-sets an Italian who is much more familiar with, and has a better record on, clay. Blake has a fair chance against Stanislas Wawrinka if he can stay patient. Blake has bad memories of Wawrinka, having lost a five-setter to him at Roland Garros in ’05 after being up two sets. My guess is Blake will be too tired to go the distance tomorrow, after playing a tough three-setter against Verdasco and a doubles match. Roddick will have to play his best clay court tennis to beat Robredo, even though he beat Robredo the only time they’ve played on clay (2002). They’re both different players now and their fortunes have changed since those early days. I'm putting "The Kiss" on Robredo. Favorite Federer should eradicate Radek Stepanek, having beaten him five times running, and Djokovic should be too steady for Nico Almagro. But that could be wishful thinking since that would set up the Federer-Djokovic match-up that everyone would love to see, after Djokovic’s swoon against Federer in Monte Carlo. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s racquet roundup from Rome. Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles Federer Favorite for Final I think a heavy weight was lifted off Roger Federer’s chest today…or maybe the weight grew heavier. With Nadal out of the fray in Rome, Federer is now the favorite. Does that make him breathe easier or clog up the airways a bit? Only Roger knows and only his performance on the court will tell. Upsets the Norm in Rome There have certainly been a few surprises thus far at the Internazionali Bnl D'italia. In addition to Nadal falling on clay, who would have picked Radek Stepanek to take down David Ferrer? Not many would have picked Nicolas Almagro to bounce David Nalbandian. Once again, parity is in the house. Good Match-ups in 16s There are some decent match-ups in the round of 16, particularly the Davydenko-Robredo match. If the non-betting Davydenko shows up he ought to get by Robredo, but ya never know. Federer ought to take down Ivo “The Giant” Karlovic without much trouble. Andy Roddick & James Blake Face Tests Andy Roddick and James Blake will have their hands full with Simone Bolelli and Fernando Verdasco, respectively. If Novak Djokovic doesn’t bring his best, Andreev has the stuff to spank him. After all the talk about Djokovic quitting in Monte Carlo, I’m betting Djokovic will not be Djokin’ and will do all he can to come out smokin’. Federer-Djokovic Dream Semi Fernando Gonzalez escaped Janko Tipsarevic in a third set breaker, and now he’s got another tough one against Nico Almagro, who has plenty of game to beat anyone if he can just get the brain cells lined up right. Of course the really sweet match-up will be the Federer-Djokovic battle if they both reach the semis. Stay tuned for that one. Lemme go check the women…Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles Serena's Streak Still Sizzling Seven of the top-ten women in the Sony Ericsson World Rankings are still in the draw in Qatar, the hottest being Serena Williams who has won three tournaments in a row, possesses a 15-match win streak. During that streak, Williams beat Henin, Kuznetsova, and Jankovic, all seeded higher in Berlin. Another Potential Henin-Williams Quarterfinal Chances are the tennis world will get to see its favorite and most common quarterfinal in women’s tennis: Williams versus Henin. I think most people in Miami watching the matches were surprised at the deuce, bagel blowout that Serena dropped on Justine at the Sony. I know I was after watching them both play. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what happens if they both get through. Neither one has a gimme though. Justine has Dinara Safina, who’s wild but talented, and Serena has Aggie Radwanska who made some noise last year by silencing Shriekapova at the US Open. However, Henin has never lost to Safina, and if Serena is on her game, Radwanska's noises will be whimpers or screams of frustration. Promising Match-ups The match-up that promises to be the most fun to watch is the Marion Bartoli-Agnes Szavay match. Both are hovering around the top ten, Bartoli at No.11 and Szavay at No.14, although I suspect that Szavay is on her way up and Bartoli on her way down from her high of No.9 late last year, it ought to be an entertaining battle of ball-bashers. Looking ahead, if all goes as seeded, the Serbian sensations, Ivanovic and Jankovic are scheduled for a semifinal tussle, and Kuznetsova will likely meet the winner of a Williams-Henin quarterfinal. Of course, given that I have the kiss of death, we’re likely to be watching Gisela Dulko and Maria Kirikenko in the final. We’ll see. Game,set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles Today's was one of the most depressing displays of non-tennis that I have ever put forth. After fudging my way through a first set tiebreak, I lost the next twelve games. Double-bagel? Wow! It was definitely one of those head-shaking, have-to-laugh-at-yourself experiences. Keeping things in perspective, even the best players in the world play as though they haven’t played much tennis on a given day, so why not me who resides in different stratosphere? We’ll let the shoulder, and the mind heal for a few days and evaluate whether we go on to St. Pete as planned. As far as my “Kiss of Death” is concerned, No.1 seed Val Wilder was not immune. Ninth-seeded Tom Coulton, my vanquisher, played a stellar match, winning the second set in a tiebreak and running away with the third, 6-2. I’m still waiting for someone to offer me cash not to pick him. Now that I’m out, and can’t be accused of trying to garner favorable calls, I’ve got to give the tournament officials, Referee Melissa Jackson and umpire David LeBoutillier kudos for the incredible job that they do out there. Having to be on the ball, and on the balls of your feet, all day is no easy, uh, feat. Yet, they were on hand each day making sure that things progressed smoothly. And no tennis would be played without the crew that prepared and kept the courts ready for play. A pat on the back for Steve Vaughan and his crew! Oh, we can’t forget the members of the Lauderdale Tennis Club. Not only are they good tennis players, but they were really gracious, giving up their court time so that we could enjoy the championship. Thanks to all who made the experience a memorable one! Game. set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles The kiss of death is still mine…for the most part. Wilder cruised as expected, and Coulton didn’t have much trouble at all with me either, but almost every other match I predicted went the other way.. I predicted a heck of a match between Fedderly and Eagle, and I was right…for seven games. Fedderly then withdrew due to injury. So much for a fan pleaser. Another match I predicted to be a “terrific match for the spectators” (Kraut v. Rearte) might have been, but only for the Rearte fans. Kraut went down 1 and 0. I picked Mendel to beat Bucar, and Mendel went down 4-6 in the third. Two other seeds that I picked, Egan Adams and Jeff Clark, were banished to the back-draw down as well. At least Mike Rose made it through as predicted. You could make a lot of money betting against my picks. It’s absolutely uncanny. I’m going to start a business: Guys are going to have to pay me not to pick ‘em. Too bad it didn’t work against Coulton… Today’s was the weakest match I have played mentally in a while. Heck, I only saved one measly match point. And the match point that I lost was a great point until the most pathetic attempt at a dropshot you’ve ever seen…unless you saw the one I tried a couple points earlier. I’ll go at it again in the morning, and I hope to bring more to the table than I did today. There are no easy matches left, so I’m looking for the “A” game to make an appearance. I’m starting to forget what it looks like. If you see it before I do, holla! Game, set, match. Posted by T. A. Niles The tennis gods are complaining about the pain in their cheeks. They’ve been smiling down on me now for the past several weeks, and, trust me, I’ve been really grateful. I’ve managed to hit the lines, come up with the big shot, just in the nick of time to get another win. My draws have been favorable, two weeks in a row drawing a player who has trouble with cramping, and a strong seed pulling out this week. Yes, the 10-win streak has been largely due to providence and the MaJiC Princess on the sidelines. Unfortunately MJ had to return home and gods have sore cheeks. Now it’s just up to me to triumph over a player with the type of game I hate to play…and he plays it really well. Do ya hear the bell tolling for my little streak? On the bright side, the weather has been great! The tournament personnel, Frank Hughes, Patty Crawford, Karen Hunnicutt, Harriet Petropolos, Miread Devonshire have been terrific. I’ve run into guys that I played in high school and picked up quite a few points toward the ranking goal of top-five in Florida. On the less than sunny façade of things, every time I’ve ordered something from the onsite cantina, they’ve had to defrost something, or some other thing that would take at least 45 minutes to prepare. I was compelled to change my order the second time this happened to Blue Cheese & Bacon Burger with Fries. Uh, not a good idea. It was about the size of a McDonald’s kids’ meal, and the burger…well let’s just say that I won’t be ordering there again even if I make it to the finals! What are ya laughin’ at? It could happen! Game, set, match… Posted by T. A. Niles I’m not sure what was better today, coming back from 1-6, 1-4 and a few match points down, or my full body massage from Bridgette Bonner after the fact. Sorry Bridgette, as great as that massage was, I’ll have to vote for the comeback. If I win tomorrow though, everybody will know it is because of the great job you did kneading the old bod back into some semblance of playing shape. Quite frankly, no element of my game was up to snuff, except my desire to hang in there. That was probably because MJ was there rekindling the fire that was threatening to go out each time I hit a pathetic shot that would have embarrassed most of my students. Glad no one from Grandezza was in the house! But we live to stroke another day in the main draw. And, I think the tennis gods are still with me. Although I was looking forward to playing Pablo “I floss with cat gut” Arraya (inside joke), I can’t say I’m all broken up about playing Charles Johnson. I think I’m more in his league than Arraya’s. Now, I think I have a bit more than the proverbial snowball’s chance of making it to round four. I’ve gotta give the props to my man Eric Ernstrom. Not only is he ballin’ (2, 2 win today) but he’s callin’ all the matches on the nose. He picked Tres Cushing (12) to fall to Charlton Eagle and he did. He suggested that Gary Clermont might have some trouble with Steve Bucar and Clermont went down in two. He picked Al Cannon to get by Dave Smith and Cannon balled Smith out in three, 7-5 in the third. I hope he picked me to meet him in round 4. Game, set, match… | |||||
